Kenneth H. Olsen

Ken Olsen entered the computer industry at a time when mainframe computers dominated the data centers. With a vision of making computers more directly accessible to their users, he set out with funding of $70,000 to form Digital Equipment Corporation. Through decades of hard work and innovation, the company created a brand new style of computing – minicomputers – that no longer sat in a locked data center, but were available more directly to their users in labs, schools, and businesses. A generation of computer users were very familiar with Digital's line of PDP-8 and PDP-11 microcomputers. This trend eventually led to the development of microcomputers, of which the current day personal computers are now available in virtually every home. His engineering skills inspired and fostered a generation of computer engineers. He was also a generous donor to several institutions, most notably the Boston Computer Museum and Gordon College, and awarded by many organizations for his achievements and accomplishments.